Mehaffy's 1100+ gallon Plywood display in North Alabama

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mehaffydr

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Thank you all for the kind words. Cabinetman I am sure this was the right way to go. I don't want to go through all of this work and have what sounds like a continuous running toilet.

I worked late tonight so no real updates other then I received a bunch (10) T5 bulbs from BRS today and I finally got fed up with Sherwin Williams and cancelled my paint order and proceeded with an order of pond armor which is supposed to be delivered Friday So if all goes well I should be painting this weekend.
Also the weir for the overflow is completed so as soon as I paint interior, Fiberglass overflow, install glass I will install the corner overflow and work on the plumbing. Looks like water in the tank is realistically around end of February
Below is picture of the weir. It turned out better than I could have ever expected.
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Ben Pedersen

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Thank you all for the kind words. Cabinetman I am sure this was the right way to go. I don't want to go through all of this work and have what sounds like a continuous running toilet.

I worked late tonight so no real updates other then I received a bunch (10) T5 bulbs from BRS today and I finally got fed up with Sherwin Williams and cancelled my paint order and proceeded with an order of pond armor which is supposed to be delivered Friday So if all goes well I should be painting this weekend.
Also the weir for the overflow is completed so as soon as I paint interior, Fiberglass overflow, install glass I will install the corner overflow and work on the plumbing. Looks like water in the tank is realistically around end of February
Below is picture of the weir. It turned out better than I could have ever expected.
IMG_3660.JPG
You may want to ask your friend to print you an extra one so you can change them out when you take one off to clean. :)
 
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mehaffydr

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You may want to ask your friend to print you an extra one so you can change them out when you take one off to clean. :)
Good idea and now that he already has it programmed that should be easy. He said it took about $30.00 in plastic so well worth it. So it cost me $30.00 and Ill throw in a case of beer.
 
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Good evening everyone I am really pleased with today's progress. I just may get water in this thing yet. Today I picked up the weir that my buddy made me and it looks awesome and fits perfect.
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This morning I got a call from the store manager at Sherwin Williams and he says hey I am not sure how but your Epoxy Pint came in today. This after they said yesterday they could not ship for at least the next 10 days because of the cold weather. Who knows but good news is the paint came in so at lunch I ran over and picked it up. I had to buy the color in a 5 gallon bucket and for now bought 2 gallons of hardener so I have 4 gallons total right now that I can use and if I need more I can buy additional hardener. So as soon as I got home no dinner tonight I headed out to clear all the stuff out of the tank and start mixing paint. I mixed up 1 quart because I had no idea how far it would go. I started with the top edges and the corners with a brush and then used a roller for the large flat surfaces. This is what it looks like with first coat.
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I think all of the hard work so far is paying off like sanding all of the fiberglass. I am happy with how nice and smooth the surface is looking.
 

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Following this build as you have now created my dream tank! This looks absolutely amazing I can't wait to see the finished product! Keep up the great work!
 

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Do you think the added thickness form the epoxy will create issues with your weir fitment?
 

Ben Pedersen

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If you don't mind me asking, how much $ do you have in the tank so far? Including lumber, epoxy, fiberglass, glass, etc. Excluding aquarium equipment.
 
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Do you think the added thickness form the epoxy will create issues with your weir fitment?
Should not be a problem because the plywood is actually .713" and I had him make the weir at 3/4" or .75 so there should be enough space for the paint thickness. I could also lightly sand the inside plastic if needed.
 
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Small update. Came home from work today to find that the UPS santa showed up. I got the 2 ballasts that I ordered from BRS so I need to get the 6 bulb T5 put back together. I also received a very large box of PVC fittings that I had ordered. This way as soon as the paint is dry I can install glass and while I wait for silicone to cure I can get the plumbing installed. I also put on another coat of the black epoxy paint after taping off the top edge and the glass openings. I have found that a little over 1 quart will do one coat on the entire tank and I have 4 gallons so I can easily put 6 coats of epoxy on this tank and I will. I have to wait 18 hours between coats so basically 1 coat per day so I will be installing glass next weekend. I'm really glad I went with the black paint. I was undecided for a while on color but now that its painted I am really happy with it.
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This is a view from above I am painting the channel around the top that the bracing will sit in just in case any water get in there. I will be putting silicone in all of the top braces but as you all know salt water has a way of finding its way into the tightest places.
IMG_3671.JPG
 
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Got updates but not real exciting at this point as a coat of black on top of black is just not real exciting. I have applied my 3rd coat of black epoxy to the inside of the tank. Total I will most likely apply 6-8 coats total. I have plenty of paint so might as well make sure its well coated. I also started painting the wood supports that will go around and across the top. These are all getting full coating of epoxy as they will most certainly get wet.
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Had a great weekend working on the tank. I was able to get a couple more coats of epoxy on so now I am up to 4 coats of the black epoxy paint. Today I realized that I had not drilled some holes I needed for returns so I drilled 4 holes on the end furthest away from the overflow these will get 3/4" bulkheads with Vivid creative random flow generators on lock line. This way I can adjust the direction of flow if needed.
I also did more painting on the boards that will make up the bracing around the top. I am on track to install glass this upcoming weekend.
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I also was able to get the new ballasts that I bought from BRS installed in my T5 fixture along with new high performance cooling fans. I should have just bought 3 ballasts but 1 was working so I only bought 2. Today I ordered another one as I decided it made no sense to replace 2 of the 3. So later this week I will install the 3rd ballast. Good news is that replacing the 2 made all lights work.
IMG_3683.jpg
 
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I will be adding a walkway across the back. I just need to get plumbing and electric in place as I may use that are for pipes and or wires.
This build is amazing. So awesome to see you building your own tank from scratch! I have seen people build a platform for the back of the tank to walk on to reach everywhere in the tank. Is this something you have in mind as well
 
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Ok day 4 after buying paint and tank has 4 coats. This epoxy is going great just kinda smelly. I also painted the overflow box with its first coat of epoxy.I have also been painting the top brace boards that will be glued in with silicone and screwed in. I bought a Kreg drill jig just for this project but I'm sure I will make use of it elsewhere. I still plan on glass install this Saturday as My son in law is from Wisconsin and a huge Packers fan so I have to get it done early before the game. Then next week I'm off to Phoenix for the week so that will be good so that the silicone can set up without me out there messing with stuff. When I return it will be time to start the plumbing.
This is tank tonight after scuffing with scotchbrite pad
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This is a sample of the wall construction. This is a plug I drilled out for a bulkhead. 14 layers of wood plus fiberglass.
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This is picture of tank after tonights painting along with the overflow box.
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Drill jig.PNG
 
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